


Relationship Advice (From One Monster to Another)

by Severely_Lupine



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-21
Updated: 2009-11-21
Packaged: 2017-10-03 13:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Severely_Lupine/pseuds/Severely_Lupine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Edward tries to get advice about Bella from a friend who went through something similar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Relationship Advice (From One Monster to Another)

**Author's Note:**

> This is set during New Moon, and several years post-DH. It's also slightly AU in that Remus didn't die. It's set after an as-yet-unwritten fic in which Lupin meets the Cullens, but that's all you need to know for this to make sense.

It was the middle of the night, and Remus was tired.

He'd spent all day at the Ministry, going over the new werewolf rights proposal with Kingsley (or, as he preferred to be called in public, Minister Shacklebolt), and had gotten to Andromeda's after eight. She'd already fed Teddy, but by the time Remus had gotten him home, looked over his lessons (it was maths and Latin today), and sent him to bed, it was past ten. Remus needed to be up early in order to meet with Harry and Ron about a group of Dementors that were encroaching on land claimed by a pack of werewolves, which he suspected was the cause for a sudden rise in attacks in the surrounding countryside.

He needed his sleep.

Still, when the knock came in the wee hours of the morning, he pulled himself out of bed, threw on a bathrobe, and answered the door. His exhaustion was gone in an instant when he saw who stood on the other side.

"Edward! What are you--Where are the others? Is everything all right?"

The beautiful young man (who was neither young nor truly a man) looked back at him with a sorrow that Remus had never seen in his amber eyes before. But it was a look he recognized nonetheless.

"No, it's just me," said Edward, his tone flat and lifeless. "I . . . I don't know why I came."

Remus's heart was racing. Something was wrong, he was certain. He thought of the strange family of vampires he'd met half a world away--outsiders among their own kind, just like him. The worst possibilities swirled around in his mind as he ushered Edward inside and guided him to a chair.

"Edward, what's wrong? Where are Carlisle and Esme? Has something happened?"

Edward looked so forlorn, so hopeless, Remus could only imagine that somehow his family had been killed, but there weren't many ways to kill a vampire. The only explanation Remus could conceive of was that the Volturi had found out about their association with him, what they called a Child of the Moon, and brought judgment upon them.

Edward shook his head. "No, Remus, it's nothing like that. My family is fine."

Remus took a deep breath, allowing his suddenly-spiking heart rate to return to normal. He took a seat opposite Edward in another chair.

"Then what is it? What brings you to my house at three in the morning?"

"Is that the time?" A guilty look passed briefly over the vampire's face and he made a move to get up. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have . . . I'll leave you to sleep."

"No, Edward, it's fine. Just be sure to keep your voice down. Teddy's in the next room."

"I know."

Remus was surprised how quickly he'd forgotten about his friend's heightened senses. "Right."

Edward was silent for a long time. If he'd been human, Remus would have offered him tea. As it was, he didn't know what he could do to help if Edward didn't feel like speaking.

Without warning, Edward stood and headed for the door. "I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry I bothered you."

Remus managed to catch him before he reached the door. "Edward, please. Just sit down and tell me what's wrong. I want to help."

"You can't help," muttered Edward, but went back to his chair. "No one can help."

When he was satisfied that Edward wouldn't dart off again, Remus sank into the other chair and gave his guest a reassuring smile. "How can you be so sure? Now, what insurmountable catastrophe has befallen you?"

After a few seconds of silence, Edward whispered, "I fell in love."

Remus's mouth hung open for a moment, then another smile lit up his face. He knew Edward had been alone for a long time and lived with three happy, loving couples. It was about time he . . .

Edward met his gaze with a pained look.

Oh.

"She's human," Edward said, but by that point, it was an unnecessary clarification.

"I see." Then with a flash, Remus understood even clearer. "You didn't--"

Edward winced. "No. But I wanted to. Every day, every moment, every time I saw her, touched her, felt her breath on my face or the warmth of her skin. . . . You've no idea what it's like, Remus." He cut off Remus's mental argument before it even had a chance to form. "No, not really. You're only a wolf once a month and the rest of the time you're in full possession of your faculties. But we . . . we have better control over the beast within us, yes, but it's a constant struggle. It's always there, under the surface, waiting to come out. And her scent . . ." Edward squeezed his eyes shut and his body tensed. "It's like nothing else. So powerful. When I smelled her the first time, in an instant all shred of humanity in me was burned away. I went from a thinking, rational being to a bloodthirsty animal in the time it took to inhale. I came so very close to killing everyone in the room."

Remus thought that sounded painfully familiar.

To Remus's shock, Edward let out one quick laugh, then looked at Remus. "Yes, I suppose, in a way, her blood is for me like the moon is for you. Except . . . I was able to resist it. It took everything in me, but I did. And I got used to it, learned to resist it more easily, though the draw was still there, always. She just smells . . . _so delicious_. Like the most amazing thing you could possibly imagine. And when I finally _tasted _her--"

Remus gasped. "I thought you said you didn't!"

Edward was shaking his head already. "No, I didn't attack her. Another vampire did, and I had to suck the venom out before she became one of us." He sunk again into the melancholy tone he'd had when he'd entered. "That should have been a sign. I should have decided right then. But I didn't. I pushed it. I had seen firsthand that being part of this world, part of my life, was dangerous for her. I couldn't protect her from my kind forever." His voice got so quiet Remus had to strain to hear. "I nearly couldn't protect her from my own brother."

"Jasper?" Remus asked softly, feeling that he was finally understanding the problem. He knew that Jasper had never been very good at their "vegetarian" lifestyle, and if the girl smelled as good to them as Edward said, poor Jasper wouldn't have stood a chance of resisting.

Again, Edward shook his head. The brief comprehension Remus had felt was replaced by confusion again. If it wasn't Jasper, that only left Emmett.

"No," Edward said. "It was Jasper. But we stopped him before he could reach her."

Remus sighed. Sometimes talking to Edward felt like the conversational equivalent of getting splinched.

Edward laughed. Still smiling, he looked at Remus and said. "You do know I have no idea what that means, right?"

Remus waited two seconds, then said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Are we talking with outside voices now?" Then they both laughed, and Remus was glad he could lighten Edward's black mood for even a moment. It returned soon enough.

"I shook my head," Edward explained, "because she doesn't smell that way to everyone." He looked very uncomfortable as he continued. "It's sort of like . . . you know how humans all have different favorite foods? It's sort of the same thing, except that really doesn't come close to explaining the intensity of it at all."

Remus thought over what Edward had said. "So . . . the girl is all right?" Edward nodded. "Then why are you so unhappy?"

Edward gritted his teeth. "I had to leave her. For her own good. To keep her safe from me and my kind. . . . She deserves better than what I can give her."

Now _that_, Remus understood.

"You did the right thing."

Edward looked up, startled, an eyebrow cocked as if he couldn't quite believe what Remus had just said.

Remus looked down at his hands, empty and awkward in his lap. He really wished he'd gone ahead and made tea. He could have used a cup.

"I told you about my wife, didn't I?" he asked. "Teddy's mum?"

Edward nodded. "Yes. She was a shapeshifter like Teddy, and a sort of law enforcement officer."

"Did I mention how she died?" He knew he had. He'd explained all about the war and how Dora had gone down fighting. Memories of that awful night flashed through his mind. Dora fighting Bellatrix. Dora lying on the stone floor. Dora's cold, lifeless eyes.

Edward blinked, pulling back as if he were right there watching it all. "Who was she?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Remus answered, unable to say the name without gritting his teeth. "Nymphadora's aunt."

Edward looked shocked. "She was murdered by her own family?"

Remus grimaced. "Dora had never exactly been on good terms with her 'Auntie Bella'." A sharp hiss brought his attention back to Edward's face. "What?"

"The girl I love," Edward said, sounding both pained and apologetic. "Her name is Bella. _Isa_bella, but . . . Bella."

Remus could only raise an eyebrow and chuckle humorlessly at the ironies of life. "I've no doubt the name is more fitting for her than it was for Bellatrix. There was nothing beautiful about that murderous Death Eater."

"Why are you telling me this?" Edward asked, sounding nothing more than sympathetically curious.

"Because it was my fault," Remus stated. "Bellatrix already hated her sister, Nymphadora's mother, for 'dirtying the bloodline', and she hated Dora for being a 'half-blood freak', but it was when Dora married me that Bellatrix set it in her mind to kill her. If she hadn't, perhaps Bellatrix would not have targeted her so fiercely in the battle. Perhaps she would still be alive."

Edward did not respond, but only stared at his own lap. They sat there for some time. Remus was lost in his thoughts, his own memories and regrets. He wondered if Edward was listening to them, as well, or if he was thinking of the danger to this human girl and what to do about it.

"Thank you," Edward said, standing. "For telling me. And for giving me your honest opinion. My father--well, most of my family--tells me that I'm being unreasonable, that all that matters is that we love each other. But it isn't. All that matters is that Bella stay safe, and she'll never be safe while she's with me."

Remus nodded. "I'm sorry. Sometimes . . . Some things just shouldn't be." And he was sorry. Sorry that he didn't have better news. But it was true. Monsters and humans just shouldn't get involved with one another. It never ended well. He knew as much, but he'd let her convince him. . . . Her outburst at Bill's bedside flashed through his thoughts.

Edward looked at him sharply. "You left her, too."

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"I was weak," he confessed. "She loved me so much, though I kept telling her she shouldn't. But I wanted it, needed it, so I relented." He looked the vampire in the eye. "Don't be weak, Edward. If you love her, let her be safe."

Edward nodded silently, but Remus could see in his eyes the hesitation, pain, and longing that he'd once felt himself.

"That's why you came here tonight, isn't it?" Remus asked. "You wanted advice. You're thinking of going back to her."

Edward's fists clenched and unclenched. "I can't live without her. But . . . I must. I must endure it." Softly, as if to himself, he added, "I've done the impossible before."

Remus could see now that Edward was trying to stand firm, but his emotions were so strong. Though Remus knew that Edward was old enough to be his great-grandfather, he also knew that, frozen as he was, Edward would eternally have a seventeen-year-old's body and, to an extent, mind. And Remus had been around enough seventeen-year-old boys to know that their capacity for reining in their emotions was somewhat less than his had been at thirty-seven.

Edward began walking to the door, and Remus followed.

"You don't have to go."

"I have to be alone," Edward said quietly. "I can't . . ." He trailed off as if he didn't have any idea how to end that sentence.

"You're welcome here any time," Remus told him when Edward stepped over the threshold. "Any of you. You know that."

Edward nodded, but stared at his feet, looking nearly the same as he had when he'd arrived. "Thank you, Remus."

Remus put his hands on Edward's shoulders. "Be strong, Edward. Please. Don't make the same mistake I did."

Edward simply nodded miserably, and was gone nearly before Remus noticed.

Remus shut and locked the door, but before he went back to bed, there was one thing he wanted to do.

He padded softly across the carpet and carefully opened the door to Teddy's room. His beautiful boy was sleeping soundly, curled up in his bed with his blankets strewn in all directions. Remus quietly went in, picked up one of the blankets, and laid it over Teddy, covering him against the cold, then placed a feather-soft kiss on Teddy's forehead.

Remus had avoided saying or thinking much about Teddy while Edward was here, and he was very glad that Edward had not asked him if, given the chance over, he would have refused to marry Nymphadora. His answer would have helped nothing. Remus would give nearly anything to have Dora back, even his own life, but the one thing he could not give, nor would she want him to, was his son. Marrying Dora was a mistake, and he regretted it deeply. However, knowing how it all turned out, given the option, it was a mistake he would make again. If he had not married Dora, he would not have Teddy. And not having Teddy was simply not an option.

But saying so would only have confused matters and weakened Edward's resolve further. It was a moot point, after all. Vampires couldn't have children.


End file.
